Signaling siren



A. B. COSGRAVE ET AL SIGNALING S IREN Filed Nov. 10, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m M C M S U H WITNESSES ATTORNEYS Dec. 23, 1924. 1,520,225

A. B.COSGRAVE ET AL SIGNALING. SIREN Filed Nov 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 TTOR/VEYS U E T E T S AUSTIN B. COSGRAVE AND WILLIAM H. LEWIS, OF MOUNTAIN LAKES, NEW JERSEY;

PATENT SIGNALING 'smmw.

Application filed November 10, 1921. Serial No. 514,225.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, AUSTIN B. COSGRAVE and WILLIAM H. Lnwrs, citizens of the United States, and residents of Mountain Lakes, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Signaling Siren, of which the fo llowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to sound producing devices and refers 'more particularly to an improvement in sirens or other instruments of this character which are employed for signaling purposes.

In the common form of sirens now in general use, where it is desired to render a signal or alarm consisting of a number of blasts, it is required each time a blast is rendered that the rotor be cut off by braking the same and building up the speed of the actuating. means therefor which results in over-heating of the motor and working parts of the device, in addition 'to requiring an undue lapse of time between each blast re sulting in confusion.

To overcome the above recited objections, the present invention contemplates an extremely'simple and effective means for respectively creating and eliminating the sound to produce rapidly succeeding blasts from a siren, which essentially consists in exhausting pressure injected within or created by a rotor, through apertures in the rotor casing to obtain the sound or exhausting said pressure directly to the atmosphere through a circumferential slot in the casing to eliminate the sound while the rotor continues its rotation.

With the above recited and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel construction set forth in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that the right is reserved to embodiments other than those actually illustrated herein to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressed and by variations in the phraseology of the same.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through a siren constructed in accordance with the invention, illustrating in .full and dotted lines the position of parts for respectively cutting ofi' or creating the sound.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the arrangement of parts when the sound is eliminated.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, but illustrating the rotor shifted to a position for producing the sound.

\ Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic View illustrating one method of operatiifig the device.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 10 designates the cylindrical casing or barrel of the siren in one end of which a suitable motor, not shown, is arranged and from which the forwardly extending motor shaft 11 extends through a bearing opening in the partition 12. The forward portion of the cylindrical shell or casing is open and has attached thereto an amplifier or horn 13. The side walls of the casing or shell 10 adjacent its forward end are provided with alternately spaced circumferential slots 15 and annular series of radial sound producing apertures 16, said slotted portions and the portions provided with the radial apertures being connected by spaced arcuate webs 17. A rotor 18 comprising a central hub 19, an outer rim 20, a central web or wall 21 and annular front and rear walls 22, is mounted on the forwardly projecting motor shaft 11 for axial sliding movement and rotation therewith by means of a'key 23 in the motor shaft and a keyway 24 in the hub 19. The outer rim 20 of the rotor is connected to the hub by a plurality of longitudinally extending radially disposed blades or partitions 25 producing a plurality of individual chambers 26. The outer rim is provided with a spaced pair of annular series of apertures 27 which correspond in number to the number of chambers 26 and conform in size and shape to the apertures 16 in the shell or till . the same.

normally effecting the forward projection of the rotor. A stop pin 29 extends through the'hub 19 and coacts with the key 23 to limit the forward projection of the rotor to normally dispose the apertures 27 in registry with the slots 15. A bell crank 30 is pivoted to a bracket 31 and one arm 32 thereof extends into the amplifier through a slot in The arm 32 is connected by a link 83 to the car 34 of a swivel pin 35 swiveled in the forward end of the hub 19. By manipulating the bell crank lever, the rotor may be moved axially in a rearward position against the action of the spring 28 to dispose the apertures 27 in its outer rim in alignmentwith the apertures 16 in the outer shell for creating or producing the sound. The contact of the shoulder 36 at the outer end of the hub with the outer end of the motor shaft 11 serves to limit the rearward movement of the rotor and dispose the apertures 27 in alignment with. the apertures 16. The bell crank lever may be either operated manually or by means of a solenoid 37, the movable core 38 of which is connected to the arm 39 'of the bell crank and the winding 40 of which is arranged 'in series in the motor actuating circuit 41. In this instance when the switch key 42 is manipulated to close the circuit, the solenoid will be energized to exert a pull on the core thereby swinging the arm 32 of the bell crank to shift the rotor rearwardly and dispose the apertures 27 and 16 in registry.

By this arrangement it is obvious that when the motor has attained a maximum speed successive blasts at short intervals may be effected without waiting for the rotor to die down or without necessitating a braking action on the actuating shaft for the same. It is also possible and permissible, within the scope of the claims, to provide a non-shiftable rotor and a shiftable apertured and a circumferentially slotted casing with which the apertures in the rotor coact, whereby upon shifting of the casing in opposite directions the sound will be alternately eliminated and produced by virtue of the uncovering of the rotor apertures due to their registry with the circumferential slots or the registry of the rotor apertures with the casing apertures. To illustrate this arrangement reference is made to Fig. 5 in which 45 designates a motor. 46 the motor shaft upon which a rotor 47 is secured against axial movement and for rotation with the shaft. The rotor as illustrated is provided with two circumferential rows of apertures 48, although a single row may be employed if desired. The rotor is further provided with radial blades or veins 49, which upon rapid rotation of the rotor are adapted to expel the air centrifugally therefrom through the apertures 48. An axially movable and non-rotory casing 50 consisting of two sleeve-like sections 51 and 52 connected by arcuate outwardly projecting spider arms is mounted on the motor shaft 46 and issuitably connected with means for effecting its axial movement, as for instance by a bell crank 54. Each slceve-like member-is provided with a circumferential row of apertures 55 which correspond to the apertures 16in the preferred embodiment, while the space defined between said sleeve-like sections constitutes in effect a circumferential slot 56 which corresponds to the circumferential slot 15 in Fig. 4. The shifting of. the casing may be accomplished manually, mechanically or electrically as desired. v

In operation whenthe casing is in the position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 5, the internal pressure expelled from the rotor through the apertures 48 will be exhausted directly to the atmosphere due to the fact that one row of apertures 48 are in registry with the circumferential slot 56 defined between the sleeve-like sections 51 and 52 of.

the casing while the remaining row of apertures 43 are disposed beyond the end of the sleeve 51 and uncovered by the casing Vhen the casing 50 is axially shifted with respect to the rotor in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5,'the apertures of each sleeve section 51 and 52 are brought into registry respectively with the apertures 48 of the rotor which correspond to the apertures 27 of the preferred embodiment. This position of the casing 50 will cause the internal expelled pressure through the apertures 48 to be cut as it passes through the apertures 55 of the casing to create or produce the sound If desired the rotor blades, as illustrated, for creating or producing a pressure within the rotor'may be eliminated, and pressure may be injected into or otherwise supplied to the interior of the rotor from which it is expelled and cut off to produce the sound when registered with the radial sound reproducing apertures 16 of the casing or through the circnmferential slots when registered therewith to eliminate the sound.

The precise structure of the rotor and rotor casing and method of effecting the registration of the sound producing apertures of the casing and the sound eliminating slots of the casing with the apertures 27 of the rotor are intended only to conventionally illustrate the principle involved and which are not to be construed as limitations as it is to be understood that variations and n1odi fications falling within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to when found expedient.

We claim:

1. In a sound producing device, the combination with 'a cylindrical casing having circumferential slots and radial apertures therein axially spaced with respect to each other, and a rotor mounted in said casing having radial apertures for exhausting an internal pressure radially therefrom, of means for effecting relative axial movements between the rotor and the rotor casing for respectively registering the apertures in the rotor with the apertures in the casing to produce the sound and with the circumferential slots to eliminate the sound.

'2. The combination with a sound producing device including a cylindrical casing having axially-"spaced radially apertured portions and a rotor having axially spaced complementary radially apertured portions for exhausting an internal pressure therefrom through the complementary radially apertured portions of the rotor and rotor casing to produce a sound, of means for eliminating the sound while the rotor continues its rotation comprising axially spaced circumferentially slotted portions inrthe ro-- tor casing, said slotted portions being alternately arranged with respect to the 'apertured portions of the casing, and means for effecting relative axial movements between the rotor and the casing to bring the apertured portions of the rotor into registry with the slotted portions of the easing whereby the internal pressure is exhausted directly to the atmosphere.

3. In a sound producing device, a cylindrical casing having circumferential slots therein and radial apertures and a rotor mounted in said casing having a hub, an outer rim, radial vanes and radial apertures in the rim, and means for efieeting relative' axial movements between the rotor and the casing for respectively registering the apertures in the rotor rim with the apertures in the casing to produce the sound and with the circumferential slots to eliminate the sound.

4. The combination with a sound producing device including a cylindrical casing having radially apertured portions and av rotor comprising a rim having complementary'radially apertured portions and radial blades, of c'ircumferentially slotted portions in the casing, and means for effecting relative movement between the rotor and the casing to respectively register the apertured portions of the rotor rim with the apertured portions of the casing to produce the sound and with the circumferentially slotted portions of the casing to eliminate the sound;

5. The 'combination'with a sound producing device including a cylindrical eas-v ing having radially apertured portions and a rotor comprising a rim having compleinentary radially apertured portions and radial blades, of circumferentially slotted portions in the casing-spaced from the radial apertured portions and constituting exhaust ports, and means for effecting rel-' ative movement between the rotor and the casing for respectively registering the aper-' tured portions on the rotor rim with the apertured portions of the casing to producethe sound or registering said apertured portions of the rotor rim with the circumferentially slotted portions to eliminate the sound. 7

6. In a sound producing device, a eylindrical casing, a rotor mounted therein, said rotor and easing having complementary radially apertured portions adapted upon rotation of the rotor to produce a blast by the expulsion of internal pressure from the rotor through its apertured portions when in registry with the apertured portions of the casing, said casing having circumferentially slotted portions constituting exhaust ports axially spaced with respect to the radially apertured portions, and means for effecting relative axial movement between the casing and the rotorto bring the radially apertured portions of the rotor in registration with the circumfe-rentially slotted portions to eliminate the sound.

7. In a sound producing device, a casing and a rotor mounted for relative axial movements, said casing comprising spaced sections, each having a circumferential series ofiradial apertures, said rotor having a plurality of circumferential series of radial apertures through which an internal pressure is radially expelled, whereby the said rotor and easing apertures when aligned will produce a sound, and-whereby said rotor apertures when aligned with the spaces between the casing sections, will exhaust directly through the rotor apertures to the atmosphere, for eliminating the sound.

8. In a sound producing device, a casing and a rotor mounted for relative axial movements to cover and uncover the rotor, said casing having a circumferential series of radial apertures and said rotor having ain alignment, the sound is produced and 1 whereby when said rotor is uncovered by the casing and the internal pressure is exh austed through the rotor apertures direetl to the atmosphere, the sound is eliminate AUSTIN B. COSGRAVE. WILLIAM H. LEWIS. 

